During the peak of the space race between the USA and the USSR, American intelligence conducted a covert operation to study Soviet space technology by dismantling an exhibition model of the Luna-2 probe.
In 1959, at the height of the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the USA carried out an unusual operation. Agents secretly disassembled the Soviet spacecraft Luna-2 (Lunik 2), which was on display at an exhibition of Soviet achievements, in order to investigate the technologies used in its construction.
The operation lasted 24 hours. During this time, the CIA team had unrestricted access to the exhibit, which turned out to be not just a model, but a fully functional device. The agents took apart the equipment, photographed all the components without removing them from the box, and then reassembled everything. The Soviet side never discovered this intrusion.
The results of this operation were extremely valuable to American intelligence. Analyzing the photographs allowed them to identify the manufacturer of Luna-2, confirm that it was the fifth unit created, and pinpoint three suppliers of electrical components. Additionally, they managed to decode the numbering system for parts, which was likely used in other Soviet spacecraft as well.
The operation was not without its quirks. The most challenging task turned out to be reassembling the device. "We spent almost an hour on this; one person in the cramped nose section was trying to position a sphere, while another in the engine compartment was attempting to connect the thread on a rod's end, which he could not see," stated a declassified CIA document.
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